1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a device for the wet chemical processing of photographic material.
2. Background Art
Photographic processing devices of this type are generally referred to as processors (film processors, paper processors). In many photofinishing apparatus, especially so-called minilabs, both a film as well as a paper processor are present.
Such a processor includes a series of treatment tanks through which the photographic material to be processed, film or paper, is sequentially guided. Typically, one or more developing tanks, a bleaching tank, one or more fixing tanks and one or more stabilizer tanks are provided, in which developer solutions, bleaching solutions, fixing solutions and stabilizing solutions are found during operation, whereby these treatment solutions are adapted to the photographic material to be processed. The number of tanks can vary depending on the material and the associated chemical system and one or more developing and fixing tanks are present in each case.
The treatment solutions in the treatment tanks are used up depending on the material throughput and must therefore be replenished either continuously or on demand. Exchangeable storage containers for the individually required treatment solutions are provided for this purpose in the processor, which are connected with the treatment tanks through a system of pumps and conduits. A control for the pumps ensures that the treatment solutions in the individual treatment tanks are replenished from the storage containers as required.
Of course, empty storage containers must be replaced in time by full-size containers, which requires a certain maintenance effort. For ease of use and simplification of the manipulation of the storage containers, a concept was recently introduced in which all treatment solutions required for a certain wet chemical treatment system are provided in plastic containers, whereby those plastic containers in turn are found in two packaging cartons. Typically, one packaging carton includes the containers for three developing solutions and the stabilization solution, while the other packaging carton includes the container for the bleaching and fixing solution or a combined bleaching and fixing solution. The chemical system and correspondingly the use of treatment solutions, the individual plastic containers and the treatment solutions stored therein are in this concept adapted to one another in such a way that normally all plastic containers or packaging cartons are emptied simultaneously, presuming the pump output of the pumps is correspondingly adapted. Level sensors, for example in the form of electrical contacts, are provided in the plastic containers or in the packaging cartons including them, which signal to the control connected thereto when a container is empty. With this concept, the handling is essentially simplified compared to former approaches in that all storage containers can be simultaneously exchanged and therefore only the exchange of two packages is required, which include all required treatment solutions. Furthermore, the disposal of the empty packages is very easy, since they should no longer include any significant amounts of treatment solution and can therefore be easily separated into plastic and cardboard.
However, this concept in practice is still associated with difficulties from time to time. Because of insufficient precision of the pumps used and because of the variation from packaging carton to packaging carton of the vacuum required for the removal of the treatment solutions from the containers, it very often occurs that not all containers are emptied at the same time. However, as soon as one container is empty, all other containers or packages must also be replaced according to this concept. Apart from the waste of unused treatment solutions, the disposal of the packages is however also rendered significantly more difficult and expensive because of their environmentally dangerous content. Furthermore, the treatment solutions in the processing tanks are not correctly refilled which can have a negative effect on the treatment process.
It is now an object of the invention to overcome this difficulty and to improve a processing device of the generic type in such a way that the storage containers for the individual treatment solutions can be more easily and cheaply disposed of.
This object is now achieved with a processing device in accordance with the invention which in addition to the conventional components further includes an additional pump controlled by the control and an additional conduit for each of at least those storage containers including photographic developing solution. The control and the additional pumps are constructed for pumping the treatment solution out of those storage containers when one of the level sensors indicates that the associated storage container is empty.